The Covenant: Afterwards
by Doyoueverwonder
Summary: This takes place the winter after the events in the movie. Caleb thinks Chase is back, the other boys are ascending, and Sarah's confused on whether she really wants to be involved with a witch. Implied snuggling, but it might get racier in the coming cha
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: I think this might be the first Covenant Fic, but I saw the movie last night and really enjoyed it, so I thought why not write a fanfic for it? Moving along... Read and respond if you'd like. I always enjoy thought out critique._

My eyes open, slowly letting the dawn's light into my throbbing skull. Hangovers are a bitch. I lever myself into an upright position, and scan the room, not really expecting to see anything abnormal, but always on the lookout. In the months since Chase and I fought, I haven't slept a full night, let alone slept well. Pogue tells me to just accept that he _must_ have died in the fire; that he _can't_ be hiding in the shadows, waiting to come back for his personal vengeance. But I can't believe that.

Chase returned to Ipswich just to get vengeance for a slight, an insult. A 300 year old insult at that, and one given to a man dead these 300 years, but felt by the first born male of his line ever since. That insult and Chase's craving for more Power, were what brought him back to Ipswich and what lead to our showdown in the old Putnam barn. I hadn't planned on surviving. I'd just hoped to get Sarah out alive and hope the others could get away safely. But Mother took care of me, even when I told her not to. She convinced Father to do the unthinkable, to will me his power, and with that I was more than a match for Chase.

The book of Damnation says that of the five families, the Danvers and Putnams consistently produced the strongest Users, that they were often equally matched. But when I fought Chase, I knew we weren't equals. Maybe his father was weak, or maybe it was Chase himself who was weak, but their strengths were a poor match against my own melded to my Father's. Seeing that gout of flames erupt from where I'd launched his body shook me to the core. I'd thought I'd killed him, but when the firefighters couldn't find a corpse, a skeleton, or even evidence of either, I began to doubt he was truly gone.

Standing, I walk over to my closet and grab a towel. Wrapping it around my waist, I enter the bathroom. Turning on the Shower, I drop the towel on the counter and step in, loving how the hot water takes the chill off the air, and begins warming my night-chilled skin. Using the mirror hanging on the shower wall, I carefully shave my face, and then move on to my chest, arms, and the rest of my body. I used to worry about shaving my body, but years of competitive swimming have taught me that to be the best you have to be the sleekest in the water. With a twist of the knob, the hot jet of water turns off, and I lean out to grab my towel. A plume of steam fills the bathroom, and I rub the soft towel in my hair. Letting the towel fall to my shoulders, I step to the mirror and reach for my toothbrush, but out of the corner of my eye I see a dark shape.

Almost without thought, I grab my Power, and prepare to blast whatever it is through the wall… but there's nothing there. Not a person, not a shadow, not so much as a bug on the wall. Turning back to the mirror, I grab my toothbrush, and begin scrubbing my teeth. After spitting out the suds I look back into the mirror and drop my toothbrush in shock.

Scrawled across the mirror is a message:

**_Sleep well sweet prince, I want you well rested when I come for your Power_**

I scrub at it with my hand, trying to wipe away that dark writing, but it only gets darker. Seizing the Power again, I wipe using that, and suddenly the writing bursts into writhing flames. With a curse, I stumble backwards, trying to avoid the malicious flames, but before anything else catches fire, they wink out of existence. Chase is still alive, and he's back.

The snow isn't a problem for my silver convertible, the wedge of Power in front of my hood makes sure of that, but I think even without it, the car would handle well. I'm driving over to Spencer Academy, hoping to see Sarah. She's been a bit out of touch lately, trying to focus on her studies, and trying to grasp what it means to be dating a powerful witch. The few times we've fought it's come up…. _"Why don't you just put a spell on me? Then I'd have to do what you want me to…"_ or _"You could always fix this with Magic, why don't you?"_ She always apologizes later, but it worries me. Mother says it's normal, and she said some of the same things to Father before they settled down and got married.

Sunlight glistens on the crisp snow that buries all the dead leaves from autumn as I pull into the empty parking lot of the Academy. Most everyone has gone home for the Winter break, but not Sarah. She decided to stay here. It means I get to see a lot more of her, but with how distant she's become it's almost like being alone still. A deft touch of the Power could unlock the door for me, but I don't want to let it addict me. I have to use it sparingly, and right now, there's a non-magical way to get in: cell phones. Dialing Sarah's number, I glance at her window, and see the light on.

"Hey there Caleb, are you here?" She sounds happy, content even… I can only hope that means she's worked it all out in her head.

"Yeah, I'm downstairs. Wanna come let me in?"

"Be there in a minute." Click. The last sound I hear is her phone closing. I watch my breath mist in the air, and I shudder, remembering the message from Chase. Suddenly I feel a hand on the nape of my neck, and I jump, yelling. It's only Sarah, and she's laughing, her eyes crinkled with it. Before she can say anything, I swoop in, and pull her into a kiss. Before we break, I feel her fingers twirling in the short hairs on the back of my neck. God I love that.

Taking my hand, she silently leads me upstairs, through the mostly empty hallways. We pass the information counter, waving at the dour old woman sitting behind it. Gladys had never enjoyed being the Dorms Mistress, but she enforced the rules fairly and fiercely. Her sour smile made us both grin, holding in laughter as we entered the stairs, rushing to Sarah's floor, to get out of the unheated halls and into her warm, cozy room. As we close the door, we continue the kiss from before, and it's sweet. My coat falls to the floor, her zip up fleece joins it, and soon enough, we're lying on her bed. I kick my shoes off, using my toes to peel the socks off too, as I stroke her sides and kiss her mouth. She puts her hand on my chest, and pushes herself up so our eyes meet.

"Caleb, are we safe?" And with that one phrase, the whole mood changes. I pull her in close, resting her head on my chest, and begin lightly stroking her shoulder.

"Yes, for now… I think we are." I say, my voice sounding more confidant than I feel. "I know I'm stronger than Chase, but he's got the element of surprise. He gets to decide when he comes for us. All I can do is be ready for him." She's tense now.

"What will you do when he comes?"

I pause in my strokes, my fingers curling around her shoulder. "I'll finish whatever it is he starts." For some reason she laughs.

"Sometimes, Caleb Danvers, you're very much a man." Her laugh turns into a giggle, but before I can ask what she means, she's kissing me again. I guess I soothed her fears… or something.

Later, we're snuggled on her bed, a fleece blanket wrapping us tightly, my warm feet resting on her chilly ones, her head tucked under my chin, and all I can do is wonder. What will I do when he comes? He's already here. What will I do, now that I know he's able to enter my own home and threaten me there? I slowly pull myself out from under the fleece, and tuck Sarah into it, and the rest of her bed.

Pulling on the Power, I summon a spell. Most spells are forbidden to us by Covenant law, but this one is not only not forbidden, but it's taught to each of us as soon as we're able to control enough Power to use it. As the spell forms in my mind, a large wolf comes bounding down the hallway. He's black as my eyes must be right now, his own eyes are even darker than that.

"Guard this room and the two who live in it." In my mind, I picture Sarah and Kate. The wolf just stares at me. "Guard them from any other who would set spells against them, especially spells using spiders or other vermin, insects, or arachnids."

With a nod I took for assent, the wolf faded into nothingness. It would do its job, protecting the girls whether I was there or not. Slipping back into the room, I climb back into my place under the fleece, and when Sarah stirs, I just whisper nothings into her ear, calming her. As I close my eyes, I see a dark pair in the mirror and know my spell is guarding us.

Hours pass, and I feel a sharp jab in my ribs.

"Wake up Caleb! I saw something!" My eyes instantly fly open, and find Sarah standing near the window looking out into the winter wonderland that is the North East. I climb off the bed and come to stand beside her.

"What did you see?" I ask as I scan the grounds below her window.

"There, near the woods. I saw a man in a hoodie watching this window, but before I could yell or say anything a black dog appeared out of no where and chased him off, into the woods." She pointed to an area of snow that had obviously seen a bit of action. Yes, the spell worked.

"It's OK Sarah. We're safe, though I think that was Chase's first move against us."

_Damn, he's strong. I've never had to fight off a Guardian that strong before… Lucky for me it gave up the chase when I fled. She saw me though. Damn it all. The Power fills me as I pull it into me, and suddenly a tree trunk explodes, sending shards of wood into the air and with a crash the top falls to the ground. That felt good, but I shouldn't Use as much… I've got to resist the urge… I don't want to end up a wasted old man before I'm in my forties._

_The snow crunches under my boots as I hike back to the old road I'd parked on._

I see the truck, the bike and the humvee sitting outside the gate as I pull up alongside them. Per the norm, I arrive last. I don't deliberately do it, but I do enjoy the entrance I get to make. As I step into my family Home, four sets of eyes lock onto me. Apparently Gorman had some more wisdom for my friends.

"It's good to see you back here Caleb. I'd begun to doubt whether I'd ever see you again." His voice is raspy and old, but it's sounded like that since before I was born. Every Gorman Twoberry had a raspy voice like that, and every one of them served the Covenant Families. I knew Gorman had a son, somewhere, also named Gorman, but that man would not take on the duties of his father until that same father decided it was time.

"It's good to see you too Gorman. I've just been a bit stressed, and trying to relax. Does my father need anything?" At the shake of his head, I continued, "Do you have any wise words for my young skull?"

It was an old phrase, an old pattern between friends, and it brought a grin to the older man's face.

"I'll always have wise words for your thick skull, boy." He turned to a side table and picked up a book. "This, though, is someone else's wise words for young skulls. Read it, learn from it, and come back to me when you're finished."

Taking the book from him, I read the cover: The Words of Danvers. I frown as I flip it over, and then open the cover, looking for a summary or any clue to its purpose. Not finding one, I open it to the front page.

_**In this tome, you, my reader, will find the words of the Danvers men. I began writing in it shortly after my ascension, and I will give it to my son when he too ascends. See that you pass this book on when your own son comes into his own.**_

I flip through it, noting every few pages a new handwriting takes over, there are gaps of anything from as few as 15 years to as large as 36 years in the dates on the corners of the pages, but each and every hand that had added to this book had been one of my Ancestors. I hug Gorman, and then put the book into my coat pocket. My father had not lived to give me the book, but I'm sure I'll find his words in it, words of wisdom for me, from my Father when he was just entering into his Power.

Leaving us to ourselves, Gorman climbs the stairs to his rooms, right next to the living room where my Father spent the last five years of his life. I look over at my friends, and have to wonder at the looks they give me. Pogue looks a little jealous, Reid definitely looks jealous, and Tyler looks a bit in awe. Tyler is the youngest of us, his birthday is a few days off, and then he'll ascend into his full Powers. Reid ascended a few weeks ago, but still mopes because even without my Father's Powers, I'd still be much stronger than him. Pogue ascended shortly after me, just a week later, but he got over being weaker than me almost in the same breath. The question is, how long would it take Tyler to adjust to it.

Right now, if we were to measure our Power against each other, it would be like a child measuring against a marine. Pogue and Reid are more like scrawny college kids against a marine, despite being ascended. I don't understand what their problem is, but all I can do is hope they adjust sooner or later.

"Guys, I asked you to come here…" I started but Reid cut me off.

"More like ordered us to be here. Just because you're the strongest doesn't mean you can just order us around Caleb." He sneered at me, and I took a deep, calming breath.

"Asked or ordered, it doesn't matter. Chase is back. I wanted to warn you. He's not a match for me, but he is stronger than any of you, you especially Tyler. You've got to watch out, until you ascend, he could destroy you without much effort." I tried to meet the younger boy's eyes, but he wouldn't let me. Maybe jealousy is starting off early in him. I look to Pogue, who's frowning. He remembers what it was like to match his strength against Chase's. That ended up with Chase coming after me, and Pogue in the Intensive Care Unit.

"I think I can take him." Reid declares, his pride wrapped up in the idea he could out do me in something.

"Whatever man, just keep an eye out so he doesn't take you with your pants down." Pogue snickers and I look at him with a question in my eyes, he ignores it, but Reid blushes and glares at Pogue. I guess even in a tight circle of friends there are secrets.

Our little gathering ended quickly as none of us wanted to be out in the night driving to our respective homes alone. As the sun set, I drove out following Pogue's bike. We didn't really live all that close together, but better safe than sorry.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So, it's not the first Covenant Fic, but it's mine. ;) I've got more material to cover, and could keep going... do you think I should?  
**

_He's got the girls protected… that was wise, probably what I would have done, in his place. I've tried sending a spell from a distance, but the result is the same. That damn wolf Guardian destroys them the moment they get within its influence. If I were stronger than Caleb, this wouldn't be a problem. My spell would just fight with his, and then I'd destroy it… but he's the stronger one, so his spell will trump mine, unless I find a way to out think it, and him._

_Snap. It's an old, dead tree branch cracking, and I'm not alone. His shocking blonde hair makes him look younger than he is, but I don't say anything. Using, I will myself to fade into nothingness. Reid is attractive, I'd probably have gone for him if Caleb weren't in the picture… but why settle for Rachael Summers when you can go for Jean Grey? He doesn't see me, or even sense my presence. Such a fool. He should be able to feel me Using this close to him, but with how he Uses I'm surprised he isn't already walking around with a cane._

_Standing in the middle of a natural clearing, Reid calls on the Power, and begins what I can only assume is target practice. He lifts objects into the air and then destroys them in various ways. Lord help him if he thinks those techniques will save him…._

It's late and even so, my eyes haven't closed all night. Chase has been too quiet. Last time, he was all show… attacking where he wanted, winking in and out, in general making us Covenant boys feel like sheep with a wolf on the prowl. Now, he seems content to wait. Sitting somewhere and sending spells against my guardian. He hasn't even come after me again, since the writing on my mirror that is.

Let's do something productive Caleb, otherwise you're a bump on a log waiting to see if someone will come and break you off today.

So I reach over to my nightstand and grab Gorman's gift to me. The Words of Danvers. As the opening scrawl suggested, this book is ancient. The first entry is dated 1687, in Cork, Ireland. The first Danvers to enter the Covenant, the founding Danvers even, had once been a terrified 18 year old boy sitting in a tavern writing in his journal about things he would not dare to speak aloud of. He had learned a little from his Father before the Witch Hunts caught the senior Danvers, but it was enough that the younger decided to flee to the New World. A month later, he and his four friends, and all their wives, were still waiting in a room in dreary Cork, waiting to see if a Ship would be ready today to take them across the Sea to the mysterious New World.

They had all sold everything they owned, supposedly in "shame" of their relatives who had been burnt, hung, drowned, or just tortured as witches, and left their home village, and after pooling their money, they had purchased enough supplies to make the Captain believe they had enough to set up a small colony in the New World. A short visit to the local Barrister's home had provided the license to Colonize, without the Barrister's knowledge, and their remaining coin went to securing them both a bed on board the Captain's ship and a bed in the Inn for the days between their arrival and their departure.

The entries flow, day to day, never quite boring, but definitely not Stephen King's work. It isn't until they'd been in Cork for another three weeks that something leaps out at me.

_**Putnam was a fool today. And now, we shall all pay for it. He Used his Power on the Captain to make the man prepare his Ship more quickly. Now the man quakes in his bed, burning of a fever. Putnam says he will cure him of the fever soon, but only once the man agrees to be ready to leave.**_

And later on the same page…

_**Well, Putnam's method seems to have worked… despite how vile it is, we are now on board and casting off for our new lives. Soon, we will be in the New World.**_

Apparently, even then the Putnam family had been a problem. The next few entries are essentially a Ship's Log. Who died onboard, what people ate, what the weather was like, and worse. The only thing of note is that John Putnam's wife died and was buried at Sea, in the old way. Apparently, she was the only thing keeping him in check, because the very next Day he began Using again, speeding their trip, fixing storm damage to the Ship, and in general being useful, but not discrete. Many of the ship's crew said they saw an "unholy" look in Putnam's eyes, and they saw things that could not be explained by God's nature.

With a sigh, I put the book down, and begin to try sleeping again.

_Reid left. Finally. I was beginning to think he'd start ripping trees apart for more "target practice". Though, now there's a rather thick layer of wood chips littering the clearing. Here's hoping no one comes out here and wonders why someone would bring a woodchipper out here._

_Relaxing the Power, I fade back into visibility, and send another spell towards the Spencer Academy. My Spell gets closer than ever before… have I figured out how to sneak past the Guardian? No… it's fighting someone else's spell. Before the Guardian can turn to attack mine, I send it seeping into the girls' sleeping forms. There. I've done what I wanted to, now to get away. I release my hold on the Spells, confidant they'll do what they're meant to, but suddenly, I feel Caleb's Guardian break. The Spell shatters, sending shards of Power flying in all directions._

_The door creaks open, and a sinister face appears. Chase. God! What have I done? I distracted the spell when it was defending from him!_

_"Thanks Tyler, or is it Reid? I'm sure one of you is the one who took the doggy's attention from me. The question is, should I try to undo your Spell, whatever it was?" He sneers, and with a wave of his hand, the girls disappear, and I feel him grab hold of my awareness. He's following my Power back to where I'm hiding._

_Running, I try to release the Power, try to hurl it away from me, but his hold on it is too strong. He'll find me. I bound through the woods, not caring that my pant legs get ripped by a fallen log, ignoring the startled hiss of a family of raccoons, and leaping into the midst of a small herd of sleeping deer. Have to keep running. I make it back to the old road, and practically tear the door off trying to leap into it. As I tear off down the muddy dirt road, I see Chase appear in my rearview mirror._

_He launches into the air, flying after me like a bad imitation of Superman. His cackle fills the air inside my truck and it's all I can do to focus on driving and not careening into a ditch. As suddenly as flicking on a light switch, I exit the woods, and the moon and star light makes seeing the road much easier. Not having to worry about twists and turns, or tree trunks, I floor the gas pedal, and pick up speed. I glance at the rearview, and there's no sign of Chase._

_"Boo." His voice drips with menace._

_I slam on the breaks, sending the truck lurching forward. A lesser vehicle would have flipped, but even in my terror I still find pride that my baby didn't. He's sitting in the passenger seat, laughing now._

_"It was a good chase, if a bit futile, Tyler. Running from me… That was a mistake. Right now, you're little use to me. You haven't ascended yet, one more night right? So even if you Willed me your Power, it would be a small addition, not enough to make sure I can beat Caleb… so, what should I do with you?"_

_Before I can say anything, a blast of Power rips open the side of my truck, sending Chase flying. My white knuckle grip on the steering wheel gets tighter._

_"I'm sorry that happened to you baby," I whisper to my truck, and get out to see who saved me. And there's Reid standing on top of the hill, looking down at Chase, who has murder in his eyes. Chase opens his mouth, which does have a trail of blood leaking from the corner, to say something, but a blast from Reid silences him. Reid's hurling blasts of pure Power at Chase, sending the stronger User flying a few times as the ground around him explodes. With a sneer, Chase sends back a volley of his own blasts, as well as lifting a few small boulders into the air, and sending them flying at Reid._

_The blonde ducks, dodges, weaves, and does his best to evade Chase's attacks, but he's not quick enough. A blast takes him straight in the chest, and he slams into the hill._

_"Some friend you have here, Tyler. Some protector. A smart man would have grabbed you while I was picking myself off the ground and run away, but no one ever accused Reid of being smart, or have they?" With a wave of his hand, Reid disappears, just like the girls. "Now, run back to Caleb and tell him I have his covenant buddy and his girlfriend… though, I might just kill Reid and the other girl… they don't do me any good."_

_With an evil laugh he fades away into nothingness. God Damnit!_

I hear a pounding on my door and my eyes fly open. I'd only slept a couple of hours, but it was no where near dawn. Wiping the grit from my eyes, I plod down the stairs, telling my Mother I'd handle it when I passed her door, sending the butler back to his bed too when I saw him on the stairs. When I open the large oak door, I see Tyler looking like he'd been bawling. His nose is dripping, his eyes are puffy, and he just seems… distraught.

"I fucked it up Caleb! Damn it… now he's got the girls and Reid… Damn me!" Words burst out of Tyler faster than I have time to understand.

"Wait… what? What did you fuck up? Who's got which girls and why do they have Reid?" I grab his arm and lead him into the living room, sitting him in a plush chair.

"Chase." He snivels, and wilts when he sees my frown.

"How did Chase get them? What happened?" I try to keep my tone calm, but I guess I failed. He quivers as he starts to tell me.

"Well, I figured two watchers would be better than just one, so for the last couple of days I've been trying to set a spell on Sarah and Kate. It was just going to be a general finding and protection… nothing too fancy or strong… but then you set up your Guardian. It caught me one day, I was standing beside the edge of the woods trying to slip in my spell, and chased me away. Since then, I've tried various delivery methods, sending an animalistic form for the spell, sending it as a contact item, but nothing worked. Your Guardian stopped them all… it wasn't until tonight, when I reached their room with an ephemeral spell, that I made it to the girls. I sunk the spell in, and then he showed up." Tyler's voice choked in his throat as he tried to force the words out.

"My spell distracted your Guardian long enough for Chase to destroy it. Then he was in their room, and he took them… but he wasn't done with me. He followed my Power back to me and chased me out of the woods. Hell, he was in my truck and was going to kill me before Reid came out of no where. They fought, Reid lost, and then Chase told me to come tell you."

I sit down. My head in my hands… I have to be calm. Tyler thought he was doing the right thing.

"Why the fuck didn't you stop trying to cast your spell when you realized my Guardian was too good for you?" It doesn't even sound like my voice anymore, and Tyler looks terrified.

"Because… because, I knew they were important to you… I was trying to help." He looks like a child, but I can't be angry at him for this. He wasn't being malicious…. "Chase… We have to find him. I'll call Pogue, and then we'll sweep the area for his Using. He has to reek of it now." I pull out my phone, and start to press the speed dial when Tyler interrupts me.

"He's down by the cliffs. Or at least, that's where he has the girls. I told you my spell had sunk in." I hear a note of pride in Tyler's voice when he says that.

I dial Pogue, and when he picks it up, I fill him in, after answering his questions, and I end the conversation. "Meet us on the cliffs' road in 20 minutes."

Tyler looks crushed, and I'm sure he's thinking Pogue will be pissed at him. I would worry about that too. Pogue's not known for thinking calmly or rationally about Kate. We walk out the door and I walk to my sleek Ford, and climb in. I can see Tyler trying to decide if he should drive his own truck or ride with me. Quickly, he decides, and clambers into his shiny new truck. A bit of independence isn't a bad thing.

_As I drive down the road I berate myself. Now Caleb thinks I'm a brainless moron. I've fucked everything, and if anything happens to Sarah, he'll blame me forever. I leave the radio off, enjoying the rush of the wind passing through the slight opening in my windows. We're almost there. Almost to the cliffs where we're going to face Chase. Caleb pulls over, so I park behind him, and a moment later, Pogue's motorcycle slides in behind me. He snarls at me when he sees me. Damn… even without the Power, he could beat me to a pulp._

_"Good job Tyler. Why the fuck were you trying to watch the girls? Some kind of sick voyeurism thing? Did you get off knowing when they went to the bathroom? Or was it so you could tell Chase where to find them? Are you working with him?" With each question, Pogue came closer and closer to me, ignoring my denials, on the last word his nose was an inch from mine, and it was all I could do not to shake. "Then what was it?" His voice was hard. I've seen other boys run away when Pogue uses that tone with them, but for some reason I lost my fear._

_"Pogue, I wanted to guard them. Just like I told Caleb, like I heard him tell you. Do you want to call me a liar?" He wasn't expecting me to snarl back at him, and I think it took him aback, but before he could say anything more, Caleb stepped in._

_"Calm down you two. Chase is down there… You can still sense Sarah and Kate, right Tyler?" I nodded, and he lead us up the hill to the cliff's edge. There they were. Sarah, Kate, and Reid, all unconscious, all neatly tied to a rock that would be underwater come high tide. Without waiting, Pogue leaps off the cliff, into the slowly brightening sky, but before he lands, a blast of Power sends him flying. Chase. I look to Caleb, and without a word, we both leap off the cliff, both angling away from where Pogue was hit._

_I land, my feet digging into the sand, and I turn searching for Chase, Caleb, Pogue, anyone. There's no one. A fog is flowing in, blanketing the sandy beach with a thick layer of white mist, and hiding everyone I want to look for. I'm holding the Power, ready to blast Chase, to defend for Caleb, or Pogue, I guess, but I don't see any of them. I do, however, hear the water coming in, lapping at the sand and rocks. Carefully, I pick my way to the place where the coast meets the water, and pulling on the Power I force the mist out of my way. Twenty feet in front of me, thirty, finally stopping at forty, and I begin casting my column of cleared airspace around, looking for the rock that holds Chase's captives._

_Blasts of the Power behind me announce that someone found someone else. Frantically, I keep searching, until my eyes latch onto the rock. Reid's feet are just touching the tops of the waves, though Sarah and Kate have a good foot of dry rock between them and the water. Forcing the Power to my will, I fly across the water, landing on the rock, just above Reid. I should wake him first. He can help in the fight against Chase. I splash his face with seawater, Using just a little to bring it to the right height, but he doesn't respond. Then it clicks in my mind. They're not tied just with ropes, they're tied with Power. I pull deeply, and find the threads of Power woven into the rope that holds them to the rock, and slice them. Suddenly, all three start falling towards the waves, but they're awake and screaming. With just a little more Power, I lift them to safety and shoosh them as best I can._

_Pogue, Caleb, and Chase are Using so much of the Power to attack each other, it's a wonder the normals living around the coast aren't feeling it. Reid surely is, and before I can caution him, he launches into the air, and flies for the Coast himself. I climb down to Sarah and Kate, and tuck one under each arm._

_"Girls, we're going to fly back to the coast. Don't be scared. Don't fight me. If you feel a little wet, I'm sorry… I'm not the strongest right now, so we might need to get our feet a bit damp." I force a grin, and it becomes real when I see their relieved smiles. I could get used to rescuing damsels in distress._

_Lifting them, and myself, carefully, we begin to fly off the rock. We're halfway there, when I feel someone land on my back, forcing us closer to the water._

_"Oh, is the baby trying to steal my prizes? Think again Tyler." Chase whispers in my ear, and suddenly Sarah falls out from under my arm. Kate follows her, both screaming. I try to grab at them, my Power fighting to pull them up, while Chase's fights to push them down. Gravity is on his side, as is general strength. Damn this late birthday. He's ascended and has his Father's power. I'm not even ascended yet. I'm still fighting as the girls plunge under the water. It feels like Chase is trying to force them to the bottom, so I stop fighting. If I keep it up, the girls will be crushed between our Powers, or drown as we struggle to put them where we want them. Snarling, I twist, trying to toss Chase off my back._

_He falls, laughing into the air, but suddenly his laugh cuts off, and around us, the sky clears of mist, but dark clouds form in the sky. Confused, I look for the source of this Using. I'm not doing it, and obviously Chase isn't. Maybe Caleb, or Pogue… I doubt Reid could do this… then the lightning hit me._

_Power rushes in, and I feel it filling every ounce of my being, every crevice of my self, and I know what difference ascension makes._

_"Damn, do you covenant freaks just wait to get in a fight so you can ascend all dramatically like that?" Chase sneers, and I have to blush. I didn't think I'd ascend while fighting him, frankly I thought Caleb would have finished him by now. Before he can attack again, I reach down with my new strength and lift Sarah and Kate, coughing, to the shore. Then I look back at Chase._

_"It's a little more fair now…" My voice holds more confidence than I really feel, but that's the only option I have now. It's eat or be eaten, defeat him or die trying._

_He braces himself for my attack, preparing one of his own, but as I see it forming, I drop out of the sky, and land on the tops of the waves, running across them like they were a moving soccer field. The mist had rushed in to fill the gap left by my ascension, so I was hidden from his view, but his dark clothing stood out easily in the rising dawn. Where the fuck are the others? Behind him now, I gather the Power, and hurl it at his back, running to a new position almost as soon as it leaves my hands. He whirls around after it strikes his shoulders. No, I'm not as strong as Caleb, but I am ascended now, and my blast hurt him._

_With a bellow of rage, he hurls wave after wave of Power at where I'd been standing when I attacked him. He doesn't sense that I've moved. Gathering in more Power, I send it flying at him, and start running again. This blast clips him on the hip, and makes him even angrier, but rather than lash out again, he gets smart, and drops into the misty layer of fog with me. I can hear his voice over the soft sloshing of the waves._

_"You're doing well, for one of the lesser Users, Tyler. I didn't think you'd even be able to get in one hit, let alone two." He's floating above the water, but I hear when he curses as a wave hits his leather boots. Vain jackass. Without thinking, I send tendrils of the Power at him, they grab at him, flaying the shirt from his back, leaving welts across his shoulders. I hadn't thought to reenact the past, but that was the same treatment John Putnam received from the other four Covenant members when they banished him, sending him to his death in Salem._

_Roaring his rage and pain, Chase turns to where I'm standing now._

_"Die." All that rage compressed into one word. All that power…. He sends it flying at me, barrage after barrage, and I barely dodge each attack, but dodge I do. I launch back what attacks I can, using less energy to stay on top of the water, and putting more into my attacks. Chase is strong, much stronger than I, but that doesn't matter. I have to win._

_With a roar of my own, I rush him, twisting around his blasts, leaping over some, and ducking others, I hurl myself bodily at him, tackling him to what would be the ground, but instead was the heaving grey green waters off our New England shore. We're both blinded by the icy cold salt water, but that doesn't stop either of us from punching and kicking, nor does it stop either of us from forming balls of Power and launching them at our enemy._

_Somehow, he twists and gets me in a head lock, forcing my mouth open, to let that icy water rush into my mouth and lungs. Fuck! I will not die by drowning. Another burst of power aimed straight at the bottom sends us flying back into the air, disorienting Chase just enough for me to break free._

_We're floating midair now, moving in a circle, searching for opportunity, when we hear the voice._

_"Stop." It's a command, issued in a voice used to being obeyed. Wayne Parry's voice dripped with command, as it should. He had served in the army for years, before his Using became too obvious, aging him too rapidly. The military blamed his aging on chemical exposure in a secret mission to Columbia. He looked like a man in his 70s, but a healthy, strong man in his 70s. The other men with him, Joseph Garwin, and Tyler's father Glenn Sims, also looked much more than their 44 years, but none had Used like James Danvers had, and all still had the use of their Power._

_Chase sneered at Wayne and the rest of the previous generation of the Covenant. "Why should I old man? Your whelp couldn't stop me, or the Garwin brat. I thrashed them both twice now. Old man Sims should watch while I kill his boy… Tyler here has made me very angry."_

_With a look to freeze the waves, Chase turned back to me, but he wasn't quick enough. The three older men all sent blasts of Power directly at him. He blocked two, but Wayne's caught him on the jaw. Whirling in the air, trying to keep his position steady, Chase tried to block their next attacks, which were just as strong as their first one. He totally ignored me, and that was his mistake. Drawing as deeply as I can, I formed my ball of Power, aiming it dead center of Chase's back. I launch it, just as the older generation lets up their attack, and it hits Chase full force in the back, knocking him out of the sky. He landed with a splash._

_My eyes comb over the waves, hunting his body, but I can't find him._

_"Damn it! He's gone again." I doubt I killed him, and we've seen him retreat in defeat before. He'll be back._

_I lower myself to the waves, and walk back to the shore, where I find Pogue, Reid, and Caleb all unconscious and bloody. Apparently Chase hadn't been lying about thrashing them. Kate and Sarah are just down the shore, passed out exhausted in the sand._


End file.
